This article was originally published in English
Guterres’ trip to the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, prompted criticism from Kiev after the UN chief refused to attend the Ukrainian president’s Peace Formula summit
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected a visit from United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in the country due to his trip to Russiathe AFP news agency reported on Friday, citing a source in the presidential office.
Guterres’ trip attracted criticism from Kiev because he is the head of the UN he had refused to participate in the peace summit organized by Zelensky in Switzerland last Juneand then accepted the Kremlin’s invitation to Kazan at the beginning of the week to participate in the Brics meeting.
After meeting with Vladimir Putin at the Brics summit, Guterres’ press service said that the UN chief “reiterated his position that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine violates the United Nations Charter and international law“.
Zelensky criticized Guterres’ trip to Kazan without naming him.
“Although some officials may choose the temptations of Kazan over the substance of the UN Charter, the world remains structured in such a way that the rights of nations and the norms of international law will always matter,” the Ukrainian leader said in his Thursday evening speech.
“I am grateful to everyone who supports Ukraine in this.”
Last month, speaking at the UN Security Council, Zelensky said that Moscow should be “forced” into peace on the basis of the UN Charter. He called Russia’s war “crazy” and added that the Kremlin was reportedly planning to strike three nuclear facilities in Ukraine, according to reports from Kiev.
“From the first seconds of this war, Russia has done things that cannot be justified by the UN Charter,” such as “killing children” in Ukraine, Zelensky explained. “This war cannot just fade away, it cannot end with talks, action is needed,” he said, inviting BRICS countries to participate in peace efforts.
